27 Days Until Football: Chicago Bears Preview

Days Until Football is a series in which I preview every NFL team, one a day at a time until the NFL season starts on September 6th. It will preview offense, defense, and give a prediction for the team’s record. Also, I will list a fantasy star and sleeper. Here is the Chicago Bears preview.

Last year, the Bears were mediocre again, finishing with a 5-11 record. The defense was good, but Mitch Trubisky and the offense were not, causing them to finish dead last in the NFC North. Over the offseason, John Fox was let go and former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy was brought on to be the head coach.

Bears Offense

The key to the Bears’ offense is Mitch Trubisky. Trubisky was bad last year, but that can easily be blamed on the scheme and talent around him. He can definitely improve under Nagy. Trubisky needs to make a Jared Goff-like jump this season if the Bears have any chance of contending. They brought in wide receiver Allen Robinson, tight end Trey Burton, and wide receiver Taylor Gabriel over the offseason, who should be able to help the young quarterback. Kevin White has potential, but he gets injured every year. Jordan Howard has been a dominant running back and Tarik Cohen should be a versatile weapon out of the backfield.

Bears Defense

Last year, Chicago defense ranked ninth in points and tenth in total yards. The Bears ranked seventh in passing yards per game and eleventh in rush yards per game. The front four is good, with Akiem Hicks at defensive end and Eddie Goldman at nose tackle. The linebacking corps is great, with Danny Trevathan, Roquan Smith, Leonard Floyd and Sam Acho rounding up the front seven. I like the front seven, but the secondary is only okay. Kyle Fuller is pretty good, but Eddie Jackson, Adrian Amos, and Prince Amukamara are nothing special. Andy Dalton found out how good Fuller was last night too.

Predictions for Bears

I think the Bears will go 6-10, dead last in the NFC North again. How Mitch Trubisky and Matt Nagy will perform is a big question mark. As I said, Trubisky is the key to the Bears season, because they are not yet good enough around him. He has decent weapons, but Allen Robinson is not a top wide receiver and Jordan Howard is not good enough to carry an offense himself, in my opinion. The defense is good, but it is not a top-five defense that can drag a bad offense to a Super Bowl. They also play in a very tough division, with games against the Lions, Packers, and Vikings always being tough to win.